


All the little pieces of you that I love

by Dragonheart07



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A little bit of a stalker Bucky, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Kidnapping, Mercenary Bucky, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Protective Bucky Barnes, Reader is a Stark, Stephen Strange is a bad guy, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25712506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonheart07/pseuds/Dragonheart07
Summary: Bucky has been hired to kidnap you, heir of the Stark Enterprises. This was supposed to be a one chapter story but, it got out of control.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Things have been crazy around here with Corona. This story was what kept me sane as things got out of control. This was not supposed to be as long as it turned out to be. But I hope you will all like it. Do let me know:)

It was not the first time that James Buchanan Barnes had been hired to do some dirty work like this. But, it was indeed the first time he felt like his heart stopped every time he had a glimpse of his target. The said person was right now in front of a book store, shuffling through a magazine from the rack, her grey-blue pantsuit slightly billowing in the breeze. Bucky watched her from a car from the opposite side of the street, a good distance away. A smile pulled at her lips as she found something interesting in the magazine. Bucky found himself smiling as he watched her, an unexpected warmth filling his heart. He wanted to slap himself for that.

“Focus!” he muttered under his breath.

It was not his fault that his target happened to be so breathtakingly beautiful, he tried to reason. He had been following her around for the past two weeks and the more he watched her the more he understood that she was not the spoilt brat he had been expecting. He was not required to assess his targets’ character, he knew that. But, he couldn’t help it. It was like she was a walking ray of sunshine, so fucking shining in your face even when you didn’t want to notice.

Y/N Stark was the daughter of the business magnets, Howard and Maria Stark, owners of Stark Enterprises, one of the richest companies in America. Bucky’s employer had a few things to settle with Stark and the way he figured out was to kidnap his daughter. Bucky never cared about anything other than the money that came off it. But, this time, much to his chagrin, everything felt different right from the moment he first set his eyes on her. He was supposed to finish this job in a week. Bucky knew he could have done it in two days. But, that would mean he would never see her again. If he was just mildly intrigued by her at first, he was utterly obsessed now.

He knew her routine by now, having spent the past two weeks in a building opposite her house, watching her and following her around. The lights would flick on in her room on the first floor facing the garden at 6 am. In a few minutes she would waltz out into the balcony of her room in her night gown carrying a cup of coffee. Bucky knew he didn’t have to keep looking at her as she was sipping her morning coffee. Sometimes the night gowns she wore were plain sinful and Bucky knew he was so close to being called a stalker than a hired mercenary. But, that didn’t stop him from staring at the way the dress clung to her body, accentuating her curves, the neckline sometimes revealing a bit too much. After that, if it was a working day, she would take a shower, coming out from the bathroom in her pure white robes. She would draw the curtains closed as she got dressed and Bucky would sigh trying hard not to imagine her naked. At night, when he lay sleepless thinking of how much he craved to touch her, he would regret the morning antics and promise himself not to look again. But, the cycle continued.

Then she would come downstairs, in her formal attire and hair in a high ponytail or bun, and have breakfast with her family- her father, mother and elder brother, Tony- if all of them were home. Sometimes it was just her. On such days, Bucky had noticed, she was chirpier than usual, walking with a spring in her step and enjoying the solitude. Other days she sat stiff at the table, talking only when talked to, making Bucky feel like she didn’t belong there. Bucky had seen her talk without her defences only to Tony in the house. Last week he had seen them spent an entire night on the terrace, talking and laughing, till it was light.

After breakfast she would walk out, take her car and drive to her father’s office, which had become hers too since last year. At noon, she would have lunch at the restaurant opposite the office building- sometimes alone, sometimes with Tony. After lunch she would lurk in the book store where she was right now, going through a few of them, sometimes buying one or two magazines or sometimes just saying “hi” to the owner.

She usually got out of the office at 7 in the evening. She would then take her car to the coffee shop next street, “Neo’s Café”. She would chat for a while with the staff as she was a regular there, place her orders and then get seated at the furthest corner of the coffee shop. She would first let her hair loose and then run her hands through it for a while as if soothing her hair from the tension they were in for the whole day. Then she would switch on her laptop. For the next three hours she seemed to be a totally different person. Bucky knew she was not working, not official work anyway. She would type away, sometimes with a smile playing at her lips. She looked the happiest for those three hours, the soft lights in the café and her uplifted spirits giving her an ethereal glow.

Bucky found himself craving for those three hours at night, just to see her smile and being in her element. He had guessed she was writing some kind of story or something and wanted so badly to know what it was that made her so happy. At 10, she would leave the café, smoke a cigarette and then walk around a little bit. Then she left for her house, arriving there by around 11pm. She’d grab something from the kitchen for dinner and go to her room. After showering, she would read for a while and then draw the curtains, going to sleep. Some nights, if she was in a particularly good mood, she would put on the headphones and dance; Bucky had been lucky to witness it twice.

During the entire day there were a million opportunities for Bucky to take her easily. Bucky was not proud of the things he had done; but, if there was one thing he was proud of it was that he was a professional. But, Y/N Stark had flushed that down the drain as well and Bucky hated himself for that. He couldn’t let this go on; his employer was getting impatient and if he didn’t act fast he was going to be fired. That would mean a huge blow, financially.

Y/N had walked in with the magazine and she paid for it, chatting good naturedly with the store owner for a while. She got out and crossed the street. Lunch time was almost over and the street was getting deserted. Bucky put on his hoodie and once again made sure there were no cameras facing his way. Y/N was about to walk past his car.

“Excuse me, Miss?” he called, getting out of his car.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around.

“Do you know where this address is?” he asked, inching closer to her, with a paper in his hand.

She narrowed her eyes trying to see the paper. It took only a moment for Bucky to do what he should have done a good while ago.

~

The first thing you felt was the pain, the kind of pain you sometimes get in the morning when you had slept on your arm. You tried to move your hands and legs. It was like you were stuck in some place, your limbs refusing to move. You tried to open your eyes. Everything was blurry and your eyelids felt so heavy that you just wanted to shut them back again. But, you knew you had to be awake, you could not go back to sleep. Something had gone seriously wrong.

Struggling to keep your eyes open, you tried to see where you were. As your vision slowly adjusted you understood you were in a dimly lit room. You were seated on a wooden chair, your hands and legs bound to it with a rope. With whatever strength you had left in you, you struggled against the ropes holding you in place. You soon knew it was not going to be of any help and gave up. You felt your breath quickening, a scream trying to escape from your lungs. But, no sound came out. Your mouth was taped shut. It was no use panicking, you thought as your heartbeats rose. You tried to take deep, calming breaths.

You tried to remember what had happened. The lunch, the bookstore, a travel magazine, a blue car, a stranger…a stranger asking for directions…you frowned at the thought. You remembered thinking that he seemed familiar.

You heard someone opening the door. A tall sturdy man came in, the same man who had asked for directions. Your mind gathered whatever information you could about him- mid-thirties, about 6 feet tall, long brown chestnut hair, stubbled face, chin dimple, sharp jaw line, black full sleeve t –shirt, black jeans. He was not a stranger. You had seen him. In the café, on the streets, in the bookstore- you had seen this man.

“You are awake,” he said, as he shut the door behind him.

You stared at him unblinking with as much venom as you could muster. This was the man who had taken you like you were some weak puppy, so easily without even a minor scuffle. You kind of felt ashamed that you had not fought back even a little bit. And now you were here, bound to a chair, completely at his mercy. He came to stand next to you.

“I am going to take off the tape over your mouth. We are in the middle of nowhere- so it is no use screaming,” he said, gesturing to the surroundings.

You continued to stare at him. He started stripping off the tape from your mouth. You had shut your eyes tightly expecting him to strip it off in one go, bracing yourself for the pain. What you had not expected was for him to tear off the tape so gently as if he did not want to hurt you. You opened your eyes to see him slowly tearing it off, looking at you. His eyes were beautiful, you couldn’t help noticing. Focus, you mentally chided yourself. It was just one more thing for when you’d describe him to the police- steel-blue eyes.

The tape was off and you opened and closed your mouth, revelling at the freedom.

“So you located the address without my help,” you said, picking up from your last conversation.

He looked confused for a second before letting out a chuckle.

“Can I have some water?” you asked.

“Sure,” he said and left the room.

With your head cleared a little bit, you strained to see where you were. It seemed like an old building, the paint flaking off, the concrete missing in places, cobwebs all over the ceiling. You tried to listen to any outside sounds to get a clue. It was silent except for the creaking of an occasional cricket. Were you really in the middle of nowhere? You tried to etch in your brain the fact that you were kidnapped and you needed a clear head, that you could not panic. It was extremely important that you stayed calm.

The man came back with a bottle of water. He opened it and put it to your lips. You drank eagerly. The cold water felt heavenly on your parched throat.

“How long have I been kidnapped?” you asked.

“About five hours,” he answered.

“Has any demands been made?” you asked matter-of-factly.

He stared at you incredulously.

“Don’t you want to know who I am? Who kidnapped you?” he asked.

“You have been following me around for a while, haven’t you? And I am guessing you are working for someone else,” you said.

“That is right,” he said, moving to sit on a chair opposite you, close to the wall.

The light from the bulb fell directly on his face now and you couldn’t help thinking he was handsome.

“So has any demands been made?” you asked again.

“Not yet,” he said, looking slightly agitated.

“How long are they gonna wait?” you asked as if you were getting impatient with their laxity whoever it was.

“What if they don’t have any demands? What if they just want to kill you?” he asked, his face expressionless.

You felt your breath hitch but, you did an impressive job of maintaining the calm exterior.

“If they wanted to kill me, couldn’t they have already done it? Why wait for five hours?” you asked, trying to shrug, forgetting the ropes binding you. The sudden movement pulled at a ligament and you winced in pain.

A flash of concern passed over the man’s face, almost like he cared. It lasted only a second but you knew it was there. If he was a kidnapper or a mercenary or whatever he was, he was not doing a very good job of handling his captive. First the thing with the tape and now this. He was vulnerable, your brain noted.

“That’s a good question,” he said, getting up, “Do you want something to eat?”

“You haven’t answered my question,” you said.

“I am sure you have a lot of questions, but, I am not here to answer them. Are you hungry?” he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. You noticed he had dark circles around his eyes.

“Take a guess!” you spat.

“If I were you, I would be on my good behaviour now, you know,” he said, staring you into your eyes.

“Oh! I am sorry. Am I not nice enough to you? To a kidnapper and a probable murderer?” you asked.

You saw anger flash in his eyes. He walked towards you and bent down, placing his hands on the top-rail of the chair on either side of your head, his face inches from yours. You got a faint whiff of his perfume mixed with his sweat.

“Y/N,” you felt his warm minty breath on your face, “this is my job. This is what I do. Behave or I won’t hesitate to put a bullet through that pretty face,” he said slowly, emphasizing each word.

“You think I am pretty?” you asked, your voice almost a whisper.

A blush rose in his cheeks. He stood straight up and cleared his throat. His eyes that were staring into yours a second ago were now looking anywhere but.

“Shut the fuck up! Or else that tape goes back on your mouth!”

And with that he turned on his heels and left the room. You smiled, knowing you might have just found out that your kidnapper had a soft spot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter. Hope you'll like it. Do let me know, lovelies!!

Bucky rummaged through the things he had bought at the supermarket. His head was buzzing. If he had thought Y/N was trouble when she was yards away from him, he certainly should have guessed how she would be up close. He had a feeling that she could see right through him and that scared him. He sighed thinking of how close he was to her a few seconds ago, her intoxicating scent still lingering in his memory, her beautiful Y/E/C eyes staring into his, her lips mere inches from him.

She had been incredibly calm and brave. She had not pleaded with him or threatened him with the consequences, unlike many of his usual assignments. He knew he had let her see how she was not like his usual jobs. It was not his intention though, it just happened. And her “You think I am pretty?” question was not a casual remark. Bucky knew what she was doing. Did she think he was weak and can be easily messed with? Well, he’d just have to show her who is the boss.

He unwrapped the sandwich he had bought on the way and placed it on a plate. He decided to call his employer one more time before going to her room.

“This is Sergeant 107,” Bucky spoke.

“Where are you, 107? You know better than this!” the person on the other end snarled.

“I do. I agreed to a kidnapping. Not a murder,” answered Bucky calmly.

“If you can’t do it, just bring her here. I will do it myself!” said the person on the other end.

His employer, Stephen Strange, was an old partner of Y/N’s father. There was some bad blood between them and they had parted ways. Bucky was under the assumption than Strange just wanted some money from Howard Stark. But, he had been wrong- what Strange wanted was revenge. He had blurted it out when Bucky had called to inform he had successfully kidnapped Y/N. And now he was kind of hiding from Strange and his people. And probably from the police because the news of Y/N having gone missing would already be out there. He could just hand over Y/N to Strange, take the money and get this over with. He didn’t have to care what came of her. Then what the hell was he doing now? He had thought it was just kind of a physical attraction he had felt for her. But, now he was risking even his life for her?! He decided not to think too much about the whole situation.

“Good luck with that!” Bucky hung up the phone, knowing his business with Strange was over.

He took the sandwich and walked towards the other room. He thought for a minute whether or not to untie her. If he didn’t, he would have to feed her. Standing in close proximity to her was not a good idea right now.

“I am gonna untie one of your hands, okay?” he said, placing the plate on the other chair.

She just stared without any expression. It was probably an act, all this calm demeanour and bravado, Bucky thought. She was probably freaking out inside, scared of what was about to come, not knowing what was going to happen to her. Anyone who got kidnapped would be, right?

“You are safe here,” he assured her as he freed her right hand, forgetting all his determination a few minutes ago to show her who the boss was. He didn’t care. He just didn’t want her to think she was in danger.

She looked at him questioningly as she flexed her arm.

“You have nothing to be afraid of, as of now,” he said, handing her the sandwich.

“Other than the fact that I am in an abandoned building with a dangerous man? How reassuring!” she scoffed, taking a bite of the sandwich.

Bucky balled his hands into a fist. Dangerous. That was what she thought he was. And he indeed was. But, not to her.

“I am not going to harm you,” he said, moving back to sit on the chair.

“How long are you going to hold me here? Has there been any progress from your employer’s side?” she asked impatiently.

Bucky sighed, choosing not to answer. How was he supposed to tell her they were hiding from his employer?

“I heard you talking over the phone. Was it him? You need to keep the hostage informed. Or else they are gonna be agitated and you are not gonna like it,” she said.

Was she really explaining to him, a mercenary, about kidnapping and hostage etiquettes?

“Oh yeah? How many people have you held hostage so far?” he asked.

“I have seen Money Heist,” she said, finishing the last piece of her sandwich.

Bucky tried not to laugh. He got up and tied her up again. She did not protest.

“So are we just going to chill-out here for a while?” she asked, as he settled back in his chair.

Chill-out? Really?

“It seems so,” he answered.

“Then tell me about yourself,” she said.

“So you can describe to the police who kidnapped you?” he asked.

“I have got all the descriptions I want,” she said, “I am asking for your story. You can leave out the specifics if you want.”

Bucky considered her for a moment. He knew she was smart and was not doing this to kill time. He decided to play along for a while.

“All right, then. Where do I begin? I was born in…in one of the places on the east coast. Not telling you where it is,” she nodded, “I have served in the army in Afghanistan. When I got back I did not have much left. And one thing led to another and I became this. That’s my story.”

“Really? One thing led to another? You suck at telling a story!” she said, rolling her eyes.

“If I leave out the specifics that’s what is left,” said Bucky, shrugging, “You tell me yours, then. We’ll see how it looks like.”

“Haven’t you been following me around for a while? Let me hear what you found out,” she said cocking her head, a smirk on her face.

She was good, thought Bucky. This could be fun.

“All right. Let’s see what I found out,” he screwed his face as if thinking, “You are the future of Stark Enterprises, along with your genius brother, Tony Stark. You could be the richest person on earth in a few years, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t excite you. Not in the least,” he paused, gauging her reaction.

Y/N’s smile disappeared. She sat straight up, her eyes going wide. Bucky decided to continue as if he was unaware of the change in her demeanour.

“You hate everything that has to do with the company and can’t wait to get out of there,” Bucky thought she might interrupt, but, she didn’t, “and you don’t get along with your parents. Tony is the one person who you would really call family,” Bucky saw her breathing becoming heavy, “The best part of your day is when you sit alone at that café, writing away. It gives you an excuse to stay out as late as possible and not have dinner with the family. Having breakfast together is torture enough-”

“Stop it!” Y/N yelled, her lips trembling, “You think you got me all figured out in a few days, huh?”

“This was your idea, not mine,” Bucky said, trying to be impassive. But, he was already regretting saying all those things. He didn’t mean to hurt her, but, he did. He was just trying to match her cockiness.

Y/N sat staring at the floor, her teeth bothering her lower lip.

“Why don’t you talk to your father?” Bucky asked softly.

She remained silent for a while and Bucky was considering leaving her alone when she spoke again.

“He won’t understand. He would just shout at me for being a coward, for not stepping up, for not being like Tony,” her voice trailed away.

“If he can’t understand that you want different things then that is his problem, right? And I think there is nothing braver than standing up for yourself,” said Bucky.

Y/N narrowed her eyes at him.

“How many therapy sessions have you attended after the war?” she asked, taking a jibe at his advice.

She was turning the tables.

“Many,” he answered.

“It was horrible, huh?” she asked.

“It’s war and it is no fun and games, you know. My best friend, Steve, died in the war,” he said, his voice serious, “It was my turn to keep watch but….but, since I was down with a fever he offered to take my duty. He was killed that night,” Bucky said, trying to keep his voice straight.

“Oh,” Y/N said, her features, softening, “I am sorry,” she continued, guilt etched on her face for having triggered the traumatic memory, “I am really sorry. I was just-”

“It’s fine. I had it coming, didn’t I?” he said.

“No. I-”

“It’s fine, really. You don’t have to feel bad,” Bucky said.

“So how did you go from being a vet to this?” she asked.

“I was broke when I left for the war. Nothing much changed when I came back either. I was moving from one job to another when I met a guy in a bar who told me there was someone who was looking for a person with my skill sets. The pay was really good and I took up my first job. I haven’t looked back since. And this became my life,” he replied.

“That’s more like a story,” she said, nodding in approval, “Not a good one, but, a story nevertheless.”

He laughed.

“What about you? How is that story you are writing coming about?”

“How do you know I am writing a story?” she asked.

He shrugged, “I just guessed.”

“I don’t really know how it’s coming along,” she said, “Some days I think I am writing a masterpiece. Other days it is so shitty that I want to throw my laptop in the trash.”

“It will work out in the end,” he said, “You have been working hard at it, right?”

“I hope so,” she said, sighing.

“What is it about?” he asked.

“I am not telling you. You can read it when it gets published,” she said, emphasizing the last word.

“All right. I will read it then,” said Bucky, chuckling,

He looked at his watch. It was time to move.

“We are leaving this place soon,” he informed Y/N.

“Leaving? Why? What is it that you guys want?” she asked, groaning impatiently.

“Will that be a major inconvenience for you?” Bucky asked getting up to untie her from the chair.

“Inconvenience? Have you ever been tied to a piece of furniture for hours?” she asked, as he started untying her.

“Trust me, I have been. But, totally different circumstances. I had so much fun!” he said, winking.

She rolled her eyes. He stood her up and immediately proceeded to tie her hands behind her back.

“Can’t you give me a moment to stretch?” she complained.

“Once we reach our new place, you can stretch all you want,” he said.

~

You were lying blindfolded and gagged in the backseat of the car, your limbs all tied up. You tried to guess how long you had been driving; you had no clue. The only thing you knew was that it was the dead of night. He was probably taking you somewhere far off, a place from where you couldn’t even imagine escaping. What was that he wanted? Or his employer wanted?

You had tried to get close to him, earn his trust. You would say it was working had it not been for the fact that you were kind of finding him intriguing. You wanted to know more about him. Even though you had yelled at him, you knew no one could have described your life so well in as many words. And the way you opened up to him- you had never told anyone about your writing life, about how it meant so much to you. It was because he was a stranger, you reasoned- it was always easier to open up to strangers than to someone you knew.

“Y/N, we are being followed,” you heard him say after what felt like hours.

Was it the police? Did they find you?

“Y/N, these are people who want us both dead. So stay calm, all right? I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, revving up the car.

_I won’t let anything happen to you._

You ignored the flutter in your chest when you heard him say that. Danger was afoot! Stay calm, my ass! You couldn’t stay any other way even if you wanted to, all your limbs tied up and your mouth gagged. So it was not the police. It was more bad guys. You were kind of getting tired with all this now and wished you could just fall asleep.

That was when you heard gunfire. You let out a scream which got muffled in the gag. You felt glass pieces shattering all over your feet. Did he die? Then you heard him say, “Fuck off, assholes!” as he took a turn on the road. You heard more gunshots. This time it felt like it was him that was firing. After what seemed like an eternity and a hell of gunfires and shattered glasses later, you heard him say, “We lost them, Y/N. We are safe.”

You nodded, hoping he’d see it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter. Hope you will like it. Do leave feedbacks, lovelies:) Please let me know if the story is working for you.

You heard him hit the brake and get out of the car.

“I am going to untie you so you can get out, ok?” you heard him say, opening the back door.

You nodded. You felt him take off all the ropes binding you. Once your hands were free you took off the gag and blindfold. Getting out of the car, you stretched yourself.

“Oh! Sweet mother of Jesus!” you stretched out feeling your sore muscles being freed from the tension.

“Come on!” you heard him say.

It was then that you noticed where you were. It looked like you were in the woods and there was a cabin of sorts in a clearing. It was pitch dark and silent, except for the torch in his hand and the leaves and twigs crunching under his feet. An owl hooted somewhere. You guessed right- you were not going to escape from this place. You were kind of surprised that suddenly you didn’t care much.

You followed him to the cabin. He was already inside, lighting candles. Apparently there was no electricity.

“I am going to get a few things from the car. Make yourself at home,” he said as he placed a candle on the window sill and walked out.

The cabin smelled musty. You walked around to find that the cabin was just that room you were now in. There was a mattress folded in one corner, a chair and a small table- that was it.

“Like it?” you heard him ask, as he came back and locked the door behind him.

“I am a hostage. I am not required to like it,” you answered.

“Seriously, how many kidnappings?” he asked, shaking his head.

You laughed. You facial muscles had trouble stretching and you remembered it was the first time you had laughed all day. It was then that you noticed.

“You are bleeding,” you said, walking towards him. His right hand was covered in blood.

“I think they got me,” he said.

“You think? Take off your shirt,” you ordered.

He looked at you surprised, but, obeyed nevertheless. You had only a second to appreciate his sculpted chest and abdomen when he pulled the t-shirt over his head. You tried to focus on his right arm which seemed to be the source of bleeding.

“There is a bullet there,” you said, examining his arm closely, “You got anything to take that out?”

“I think so,” he said as he staggered to the bag on the floor. He seemed tired. You pulled him by his left arm and nodded towards the chair.

“Sit there. I will get it,” you said, suddenly afraid a tenderness had crept in in your voice, “I can’t let you die. I need you to get out of here,” you added as you walked to get the bag. He let out a soft chuckle.

Once you got hold of the first aid kit from the bag, you got to work. You assured him you knew what you were doing since you had had some training while working with Red Cross for a while.

“There’s no local anaesthetic. How do I suture you?” you asked.

“Just give me a cloth to bite into,” he said.

It did not seem like a very good idea, but, that was only what you could do then. You nodded and gave him his t-shirt to bite into. You adjusted the candles to get a good source of light and then pulled out a hand sanitizer from your pocket. He looked at you, impressed.

“I carry it around,” you said.

After doing a hand rub, you got hold of the forceps and bent down prepared to remove the bullet.

“I am gonna take it out now, ok?” you said in what you hoped was a reassuring voice. He nodded, turning to face the other way.

You cleaned the wound with betadine solution you had found in the kit and proceeded to remove the bullet carefully. It had not been lodged that deep and you took it out without much struggle. You heard his breathing becoming ragged.

“Bullet is out,” you said. He nodded.

You pulled out a suture material with an attached needle from the kit. After taking a deep breath you said, “I am gonna suture you up now.”

He nodded again. You started suturing him. He whimpered and gave out muffled grunts and was sweating profusely. You couldn’t help admire the fact that he did not move his arm even once. As you were tying up the last suture you slowed down, letting your eyes roam all over his body. His face was turned away from you and couldn’t see the lust that filled your eyes. His body was glistening with sweat, his chest and abdomen moving in rhythm with his breathing, the candles perfectly lighting up each and every rise and fall of his muscles. You tried not to let out a sigh and mentally chided yourself. He was your kidnapper. Your priority was to escape. Or was it now?

“It’s done,” you said, straightening up and stepping back to admire your work as you tied the last knot.

He pulled out the t-shirt from his mouth.

“Thank you,” he said, looking at his sutured arm.

You took a gauze piece and started to dress the wound after applying the antiseptic solution. As you wound the gauze piece around his arm, you felt his eyes on you. You dared to look back at him. For a moment you held his gaze, wondering what was going on behind those steel blue eyes. The moment was brief, but, intense. Then he looked away.

“So who were the guys chasing us?” you asked as you finished tying the knot on the gauze.

He looked at you as if considering whether or not to answer. Then he said:

“Those were my employer’s people.”

Your eyes widened in surprise, “Why are they trying to kill you? Are you bargaining with them for me?”

“What?! No!” he said, offended, “The deal went wrong.”

“How?” you asked, folding your hands across your chest.

“I thought he just wanted some ransom in exchange for you. But….that was not it. He wants to take revenge on your father. He…he wants you dead,” he said not looking at you.

“Dead?” you repeated, “Who is this guy?”

“Stephen Strange. Your father’s old partner.”

“Strange. I have heard of him,” you said, suddenly thinking of something else, “Can’t you hand me over to him and just get this over with?” you asked.

He looked at you for a few seconds, seconds that felt like eternity.

“That was not the deal,” he muttered under his breath, looking away.

“Why do you care if he kills me or not?” you prodded.

“I might be a mercenary. But, I have certain principles,” he said.

“You got yourself shot for that,” you said, trying not to show how moved you were by the fact that he had decided not to hand you over to some maniac.

He shrugged.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” he asked.

“I got a few shards of glass over my pants. I removed it when I got out of the car,” you said.

“Let me see,” he jumped up from the chair and pulled you down onto it.

“Whaa…There’s nothing to see. I am fine,” you protested.

He took out the torch and crouched down on the floor in front of you. Placing the torch on the floor, he rolled up your pants carefully. You felt goosebumps where his fingers brushed on your bare skin. He took the torch and examined your legs and feet for any injuries, touching here and there to make sure he had not missed anything. You held your breath, craving for more of his fingers and at the same time wishing for this torture to end.

“Nothing that I can see,” he stood up finally, satisfied.

You wanted to ask him what his plan was now that he was up against his employer. But, you decided it could wait till tomorrow.

“You can sleep on the mattress,” he said pointing to the one you had seen earlier in the corner.

“What about you?” you asked.

“You don’t have to bother about me. I don’t sleep much anyway,” he said.

You got up from the chair and walked to unfold the mattress. You could feel your body shutting down. You turned to see him watching you.

“Good night,” he said with a smile.

“Good night,” you said, falling onto the mattress.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. Hope you are enjoying the story. Do let me know, please:)

Bucky woke up to the song of a wood thrush. He had fallen asleep on the wooden floor. His back ached as he turned to lie facing the ceiling. He had a blanket over him which was not there when he had gone to sleep. A smile crept upon his face, but, only for a second. He jumped up from the floor in alarm and found that the mattress had been folded neatly and placed in the corner. There was no sign of Y/N.

“Shit! Shit!! Shit!!!” he yelled at himself for having trusted her and letting down his guard.

She couldn’t have gotten far. He got out of the cabin and ran down the path. She won’t make it out of here on her own. Suddenly his anger at her having escaped was replaced by fear for her life; he had seen bears around there a few times. He ran as fast as he could, hoping she wouldn’t have dared to take any detours from the main path. He was a good way away from the cabin when he saw her seated, relaxed, on a tree root at a turn. She was watching him with an amused look. He wanted nothing less than to kill her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked coming to stand in front of her, panting hard.

“You thought I escaped, huh?” she asked, with a smirk.

Bucky had never been so angry in his whole life and that was saying something. He took a step ahead and pulled her up by her arms, not caring if he would hurt her.

“Ouch!” she yelped, as his fingers dug into her flesh.

“Do something like this again and I will wipe that smirk off your face!” he growled.

“I am not scared of you!” she said, struggling to get out of his grip.

He let her go. She glared at him, massaging her arms. Bucky almost felt guilty knowing it was going to leave a bruise on her. But, what was she thinking walking out on her own?

“This is a forest, Y/N. It is not safe for you to walk out here alone,” he said, trying to soften his voice.

“Fuck off! It’s not like you care!” she said, still mad at him.

“You think I don’t care? Why do you think I am hiding out in a godforsaken place with you when I could just take the money and leave?” he said, his nostrils flaring.

Y/N stared at him for a while before walking away from him towards the cabin. Bucky let out a sigh and followed her, careful to maintain a distance. Once she reached the cabin, she sat down on the stairs in the front porch. Bucky considered the situation for a while and sat down beside her. There was no much space for the two of them and they were sitting with their thighs touching. Y/N didn’t attempt to move away. Bucky saw that as a good sign.

“Y/N, I am sorry. I was really worried. And yes…I thought you had escaped. Nevertheless, I shouldn’t have behaved the way I did,” he said.

“I was just walking around to see the place. I know I cannot get out of here on my own. I am not an idiot,” she said.

“I know. I am sorry. I really am,” he said again.

“And I am sorry for wandering away like that,” she said, turning to face him.

Bucky looked down at her forearms where a bruise had formed. He looked up at her guiltily.

“It won’t happen again,” he said.

“It will go away,” she said shrugging.

He lifted his hand and slowly ran his fingers over the darkening spot. It did not escape his notice that she shivered a little. The two of them remained silent for a while, her eyes on his fingers and his on her face. This was getting out of control. Bucky withdrew his hand, her eyes followed his retreating fingers.

“So you want to have some breakfast?” he asked, standing up.

“Oh yes! I am starving,” she said, jumping up with him.

“Don’t expect too much. We have to make do with what we got,” he said as he started to walk inside the cabin.

“I have been meaning to ask. How long are we going to stay here?” she asked as she got in behind him.

The thing was that Bucky did not have a plan now. He had no idea what to do. He could just let her go since she was not of any use to him now. But, he knew she could be in danger from Strange. He had to figure out what to do about that before he could let her go.

“Are you already bored of me?” he asked, feigning offense.

“Bored? This has been the least bored I have been in a long time,” she said as she sat down on the floor, stretching her legs.

It was said in a light-hearted tone, but, Bucky felt a warmth filling his heart. He turned away from her in the pretense of taking out the packet of bread from the bag. He didn’t want her to see his face right then.

“But, we can’t go on like this, right? I mean, I don’t even have anything to change,” she continued, “Since you and Strange have fallen apart, I am not of any particular value to you. So…the smart thing to do is to let me go, right?” she asked.

“That would be the smart thing to do, yes,” he said, fishing out the bread and jam from the bag and turning to look at her, “And I will, soon,” he added.

“Or we could make some money out of this from my father. Although I am not sure you picked the right Stark. I bet he wouldn’t even have noticed I am gone,” she said, a bitterness creeping into her voice.

“I am sure I picked the right Stark,” he said as he handed her the bread and jam.

Y/N gave him a strained smile.

“Is it ok if I know your name?” she asked.

It was then that Bucky realized she didn’t know his name yet.

“You can call me Bucky,” he said, as he sat down beside her.

“Bucky,” she repeated, nodding.

Bucky loved the way his name rolled out of her tongue. They finished the rest of the breakfast in silence.

“There’s a river down the path if you want to take a bath. You can wash your clothes and let it dry on the rocks. It will dry soon once the sun is up,” he said, getting up.

“That would be a good idea. I have started to stink,” she said.

Bucky extended a hand to lift her up. Y/N took it like she had been doing this for a while.

“Ok then. We’ll go take a bath,” he said.

“We?”

“Relax. It’s big enough for us to be in there at the same time,” he said.

“Fine. Don’t even think of peeping!” she warned.

He rolled his eyes at her.

~

After about a long half an hour walk you two arrived at the river. You were at a fair distance from the cabin now, possibly on a trek route or something, guessing by the well-worn path. The water ran, manoeuvring around huge boulders and small rocks, flowing incessantly. The sweet music of the river resonated in the silence of the forest. Sunlight scattered on the crystal clear water, letting it shine bright and golden.

“It’s gorgeous!” you said taking in the view. You two were standing on a huge rock, jutting out into the water.

“You can use that part. And I will be there,” said Bucky pointing to either side of the rock. It provided enough partition to enjoy your privacy,

“All right,” you said, already walking down the boulders on the bank, into the water.

“Call out when you are done,” he shouted as he walked to the other side. You gave him a thumbs up.

When you were sure he was out of sight you got out of your clothes, placing them on the shore and started swimming in only your bra and underwear. The water was so great, cool, and relaxing. You had lost yourself in the water when you suddenly felt a hand on your mouth. You panicked and were about to thrash your attacker when you saw it was Bucky. When did he swim there?

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered and pointed towards the bottom of the huge rock you had been on before. There was a large crack there where you could barely hide yourself.

You swam as silently as possible to reach the spot Bucky had pointed. As you got in there you knew it was going to be uncomfortable. There was no way you could stand there without touching each other. You tried your best to not look at him as your wet, almost naked body pressed against his. You could feel his warm breath on your neck. You closed your eyes, willing for whoever it was to go away soon. You heard two people talking, their voices getting closer. You were trying to see who it was by craning your neck when your feet slipped. Bucky caught you by your waist and pulled you towards him. If there was a millimetre of space left between you before that too was gone now. He didn’t care to take his hands off later. You did not complain. You stood there practically hugging as you heard the voices walking away from you.

“Probably trekkers,” Bucky whispered.

You dared to look up at him now. His steel-blue eyes were now dark, the blue only a narrow rim. You felt the fire burn between your thighs. And if you were not much mistaken, you could feel him getting hard.

“We should wrap this up and go back,” he sputtered, taking his hands off you and starting to walk out into the water.

He didn’t wait for your reply as he swam back to his part of the river. You wondered why you had hidden from whoever it was. You were kidnapped. You could have shouted out to them to save you; that thought had not even crossed your mind. And even if it had, you knew you wouldn’t have done anything of that sort. It had been just a day since you had been with Bucky and you knew you’d protect that man and take his side in a heartbeat. Was this the thing they called “Stockholm syndrome”?

~

You had fallen asleep on the mattress after a small lunch of bananas and chips. When you woke up, Bucky was not in the cabin. You two had managed to act like nothing had happened in the river and things had not been that awkward.

You got up from the floor and walked outside. You found Bucky smoking a cigarette, seated on the stair in the front porch.

“You are not supposed to smoke in a forest,” you said, sitting down beside him.

“You want one?”

You shook your head. You leaned backward, supporting your body on your arms and watched him from behind. You had never seen a man look this sexy when smoking. He was wearing only a vest and the muscles on his arms were on full display. There was something about the way he held the cigarette in his hand- it was casual, almost bordering on arrogance. When he puffed out little smoke circles pouting his lip, you found yourself gritting your teeth, the limits of your self-control being tested. Your eyes roamed to his hair which was lying all over the place. You wondered what it would be like to run your hands through it.

“Your hair is messy,” you said.

He turned to look at you over his shoulder.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I could braid it. Tie a bun, maybe” you said, sitting straight to face him.

He looked at you, surprised.

“No,” he said, bluntly.

“Please,” you said.

He didn’t say anything this time but, continued to stare at you. You took that as a yes and got up. You pulled the chair in the cabin outside and sat on it, behind him. You heard him sigh.

“I cannot believe I am letting you do this,” he said.

You couldn’t believe it either that you had had the nerve to ask this of him.

“You are gonna like it, I promise!” you said.

You ran your hand gently through his hair, searching for knots and unknotting them. His hair was silky smooth and soft, just like you had imagined. You didn’t hesitate to gently massage his scalp in between, though that was not part of the offer. You heard him let out little sighs which you took as a good sign. It was not long before he leaned back towards you, giving himself up completely. He had closed his eyes and though you could not see it clearly from your position, you were sure that a small smile was playing on his lips. You made sure that your hand went through each inch of his hair, taking it all in. You knew what you were doing was probably weird and the fact that you enjoyed it was weirder; you were not the kind of person who would do such things and yet here you were. You took a little bit of hair from both sides and braided them, finally bringing them together in the middle to form a half-bun.

“It’s done!” you declared.

He flexed his head all the way back to look at you and smiled. You looked down at him and smiled back, your eyes warm and soft. He remained like that, looking up at you, his eyes searching yours. You moved closer so that his head rested on your lap. Before you knew it, your hands were on his cheeks, your thumbs gently stroking him. You watched his smile slowly disappear and his eyes grow dark.

Thunder clapped in the sky. He sprang up, away from you.

“It’s gonna rain. Let’s get inside,” he said and without looking at you, he walked in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter. I hope someone out there is still enjoying this.. Please let me know if you like it:)

“I am gonna take you home tomorrow,” he announced, when you were having dinner (bread, again).

You looked at him without saying anything and nodded. You were not at all surprised that you had not missed home, but, you were surprised by how much you did not want this to end. But, you knew this was not going to go on like this forever.

“Cops will question you….about who kidnapped you,” he said.

“You know that I am not going to tell them anything,” you said, a little offended. How could he even think that you would do that?

“I know. It’s just…I would understand if you did,” he said.

“I am not going to, Bucky,” you repeated.

You ate in silence for a while.

“Should I tell them that Strange was behind all this?” you asked.

“No. I will take care of that,” he answered.

You looked at him questioningly.

“What?! Are you going to…are you going to kill him or something?” you asked.

He took a bite of his bread without answering.

“Look here, Bucky! You cannot kill him, ok?” you said, almost yelling.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do and what not to do,” he said, impassive.

You glared at him.

“Have you killed people before?” you asked, unable to stop yourself.

“Did I give an impression that I was a saint or something? I kidnapped you, Y/N. I got shot. I fired a fucking gun at those people with every intention to kill. I thought you had figured it out,” he said.

Your head swam. He was a murderer. You knew it at some level, but, you had not wanted to believe it.

“You cannot kill people anymore,” you muttered under your breath.

“Strange is crazy. He will come back after you and your family,” he said.

“Let the cops deal with it. You don’t have to do it.”

“I don’t trust the cops or the law to protect you, Y/N.”

You were touched that he wanted to protect you, but, you could not let him lead this kind of life.

“I don’t need your protection, all right? Who are you to protect me?” you said.

He looked at you for a while and then got up without answering.

“Go and sleep, Y/N. We are leaving early morning.”

~

Bucky sat on the floor as you unfolded the mattress and got ready to sleep.

“This mattress is large enough for both of us,” you dared to suggest.

He looked at you and shook his head.

“Come on, Bucky! I won’t bite,” you said, trying to lighten the situation, “You slept on the floor last night too,” he looked at you, his eyes tired, “Please,” you pleaded.

He exhaled loudly and got up, walking towards you. You moved to the other side of the mattress to make space for him. He lay down beside you, wiggling to get inside the blanket.

“I kidnapped you, Y/N. You shouldn’t care whether I sleep or not,” he said.

You turned to lie sideways, facing him.

“You shouldn’t have cared whether I died or lived in the first place. Then we wouldn’t have been in this fix,” you said.

“Are we in a fix?” he asked, also turning to lie facing you.

“Aren’t we?” you shrugged.

You lay looking at each other, feeling the warmth radiating from each other’s body. You remembered a word you had read somewhere- **_Mamihlapinatapei_** **-** the wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start. That word summed up the situation perfectly.

You both wanted something more, you knew it. You didn’t know if it was just lust. But, you did know that your heart had not yearned for someone like this, it had not felt so much at peace in such a long time. It was almost like you had found a missing piece in your life.

You couldn’t help thinking if he had ever kidnapped a girl and lay down on this mattress with her. You felt jealous at the mere thought of it.

“What are you thinking?’’ he asked.

“Have you kidnapped anyone else before?” you asked.

“You don’t want to know my history, Y/N,” he said.

“Just tell me,” you said, impatiently.

He laughed, “I have.”

“Have you brought them here?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

“Did you sleep with them on this mattress?” you asked not caring how pathetic you were going to sound.

He smirked, “Will you be jealous if I tell you I did?”

“Do you do this with everyone?” you asked.

“So you are jealous!” he chuckled.

You rolled your eyes and remained silent.

“I haven’t done any of this with anyone before because usually the people I kidnap hate me with a vengeance. And…you did not,” he answered.

“I did, at first,” you said.

“Not with a vengeance,” he said.

“Maybe not,” you shrugged.

You fell back into silence, gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Have you ever considered living a different life?” you asked after a while.

“Even if I did, I am not sure I can,” he said, resignation in his voice.

“Why not?” you asked.

“It’s complicated,” he replied.

You propped yourself up on your elbow.

“Save the speech, Y/N,” he said, knowing that you were about to give a sermon.

“Don’t you wish to have a normal life, Bucky? A quiet, peaceful life?” you asked ignoring him.

“Ohhhkayyy…I think I am going to sleep now,” he said, turning to lie on his back.

You let out a sigh and lay down on your back, aware of your elbows touching each other.

“Bucky,” you called.

“Hmm…” he hummed, his eyes closed.

“Can we stay here for one more day?” you asked, looking at him sideways.

He turned to look at you with wide eyes, “Why?”

“I like this….us,” you answered.

“You are crazy!” he said, his jaw tightening.

“You do too, I know,” you said.

“So what happens after tomorrow, huh? You will leave, anyway,” he said, his voice rising a notch higher, “Nothing else is going to happen. Nothing else can happen.”

“Why is that?”

“We…you and I…are so different. You have known me for barely two days. You have no idea who I am or of the things I have done,” he replied.

“Why don’t we start from this point?” you asked.

He looked at you considering your question.

“Ten bucks say you won’t even remember me a week from now,” he said.

You frowned, turning your face away from him. You closed your eyes, signalling the end of the conversation. You didn’t know what to tell to that. You knew for sure you were never going to forget him. But, the thing was that you didn’t know if any of this was real. What if it all went away after you went back to your normal life? What if all of this was some weird in-the-moment thing? But, it felt real. When you looked him in the eyes, there was this pull in your heart that you had never felt before, that warmth that was never there. How could it not be real?

~

When you woke up the next morning, the first thing you felt was the weight of Bucky’s arm around your waist. As you came to your senses, you knew you were lying snuggled against his chest. You were warm and safe and you never wanted to wake up from this. You slowly tilted your head back to look at him. His eyes were closed. The braid you had made had come loose in places, a few strands of hair falling on his face. He looked so peaceful. You let out a gentle sigh.

Bucky opened his eyes with a start. He saw you looking up at him, your hair messy and eyes sleepy. Somehow you looked more beautiful.

“Morning,” you said. Your voice was morning raspy and Bucky had never wanted you more. Last night’s conversation reeled through his mind again. He wished this could be something more. You made him feel things no one had ever done before.

“Morning,” he said, smiling. You had not attempted to move away and he decided he needn’t either.

The fact that you were going to part so soon ringed in your mind. May be it was that thought that made you desperate for more of him, making you run your hand across his chest and to his face. You stroked his jaw with your thumb, your eyes following the movement. He lay still watching you, letting you do whatever it was that you were doing.

You lifted your eyes to look into his steel blues. His eyes roamed from your eyes to your lips and back.

“We should get going,” he said, his voice strained.

You nodded. He moved away from you and got up. This was it, you thought as you got up and folded the mattress, neatly placing it in a corner; this was the end of your adventure, a piece of your life that looked like it was somebody else’s. You watched him move around the cabin gathering his things. You walked out leaving him behind.

You heard a wood thrush sing. If you really strained your ears you could hear the faint murmur of the river flowing by. You were going to miss this place. You envied Bucky that he could return to this place whenever he wanted. He was going to move on without you.

“Ready?”

Bucky was behind you, closing the cabin shut.

“When are you going to come back?” you asked.

“What?” he asked, starting to walk towards the car.

“When will you come back to this place?”

“Don’t know. Not for a while anyway,” he replied, opening the backdoor of the car and placing his things there.

“This is your magazine,” he said, extending you the magazine you had bought minutes before you were kidnapped.

“You can keep it,” you said, selfishly wanting him to keep a piece of you with him, “to remember me by,” you added, smiling.

“I don’t need this to remember you,” he said, looking intently at you. You felt your heart give away, “but, I will keep it. Maybe I can return it once I am done.”

You pursed your lips and nodded, knowing that was not going to happen. You both stood staring at each other, knowing that the next thing to do was to get in the car and leave. Moments passed. The wood thrush cried again. Bucky sighed, taking his eyes off you and placing the magazine in the back seat.

“Let’s get going,” he said walking around to get in the car.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter. Hope you guys will like it. Pleaaaasseee do let me know:)

**_4 months later_ **

It was your last day in the office at Stark Enterprises. You had packed your things already- it had taken a surprisingly short time. You just had to make a few more phone calls and then you would be off. You stretched out on the couch in your office and took out your phone.

A lot had changed in the past few months. Bucky had let you go at the same spot he had taken you. The street was busy and your goodbyes hurried, lest anyone saw him. You had taken a cab home, feeling a huge weight in your heart. You didn’t know how you could miss someone you had known only for two days. But, the pain had been unbearable. The cab driver had kept asking you if you were ok, bothered by your sniffling.

When you reached home you made up a story that you had been off by yourself to get some quiet time for contemplation. It was a good story (though Tony did not believe you completely) and laid the necessary foundation to get away from your current life. In two weeks you left your parents’ home and moved into a rented apartment. They were dismayed, of course. Tony seemed impressed. He had helped you with moving and arranging your home. And then you gave your three months’ notice. You had had your doubts about quitting, but, once you did, once you knew you no longer had to do something you hated, you knew you did the right thing. You were leaving without taking any of your father’s money. It was scary, but, you knew you would plough through. Your novel was almost complete and in a few days you were going to start hunting for a publisher. You had to say that your father seemed a little bit proud once the initial shock of your decisions wore out. You had stood up for yourself and it was exhilarating.

All this while, Bucky had been in the back of your mind, lingering with an unrelenting hold over your heart. You found yourself searching for him in the streets. And sometimes you were so sure he was there, among the crowd, watching you. It was maybe just a figment of your imagination, you couldn’t be so sure at the end of the day. The only thing you were sure was that Bucky had lost his ten bucks because you never stopped thinking of him. You had tried dating on Tony’s insistence, but, nothing had worked out because all you could think of was the way Bucky made you feel and the bar was now so high. But, Tony had not given up. You had a date that night too, with some guy Tony played golf with. You had agreed to it just to get him off your back. You needed to put your foot down and tell him to stop trying to set you up with people whom you had zero interest in.

By the way, Stephen Strange was dead. It was apparently a suicide, but, you knew better. When you heard the news you were ashamed that you were kind of proud. It soon gave way to fear for Bucky. It was quite a scandal and the possibility of homicide had not been ruled out. But, it was unsolved still and you were now almost sure that it would always probably be.

You had made the necessary phone calls and was about to get up and leave the place once and for all when the landline rang.

“Y/N here,” you answered.

“Miss Stark, there is someone here to see you,” the receptionist, Hayley, said.

“Now? Who is it?” you wondered. Who would come to see you here now? The news of your quitting had quite the media coverage.

“One Mr. James Buchanan Barnes,” replied Hayley.

The name didn’t ring a bell.

“Ask him what the matter is,” you were not in the mood to see anyone, “And tell him I don’t work here anymore.”

You heard Hayley’s muffled sounds as she conveyed the message to Mr. Barnes.

“Miss Stark,” said Hayley, coming back to the receiver, “He insists on seeing you. Says he wants to return a magazine he borrowed,”

Your heart stopped.

“Send him in, send him in!” you said urgently.

“Sure, Miss Stark.”

~

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” you started pacing your office, your heart pounding in your chest.

He was here. He was really here.

You ran to the washroom to check yourself in the mirror. You let down your hair and put on a little lipstick. Then you remembered how dirty and unkempt you had been when you were with him. You smiled at your reflection, trying to keep your breathing in check. You heard someone knocking at your door. You rushed to your table and stood leaning on it.

“Come in!” you said aloud.

James Buchanan Barnes walked in. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a denim jacket and blue jeans and his hair-

“You fucking cut your hair!” you yelled in indignation.

“Good to see you too,” he said smiling and extending the bouquet of daisies and baby breaths he had bought for you.

“Thank you,” you said, taking the bouquet from him, smiling back, “You didn’t tell me you had a fancy name.”

He shrugged. You placed the bouquet on the table and gestured for him to sit on the couch. You sat down on the other end.

“You have a couch in your office,” he said, bouncing in his seat and inspecting the couch.

“Not after today,” you said.

“I heard you quit,” he said, leaning on the backrest and throwing one arm over the top of it.

You nodded.

“And I moved out and am about to finish my first novel,” you said, struggling to hide how proud you were.

“I am happy for you,” he said, beaming.

“So, why did you cut your hair?” you asked.

He chuckled, “You liked it that much, huh?”

“Why do you think I begged to braid it?” you asked.

His expression shifted, a warmth mixed with a little sadness (was it?) at your mention of the time you were together. You felt it too, like having travelled back to the time when it was just the two of you, alone in a cabin in the woods.

“I…I got a job at a security firm,” he said.

“Really? That’s so great!” you said, happy that he had decided to leave the dark life behind.

“Yeah. So when I decided to clean up my act I cut my hair off…in a kind of…I don’t know, symbolic gesture or something, of starting a new life,” he said.

“This look is good too,” you said, “I am proud of you, James Buchanan Barnes.”

“You can still call me Bucky,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“So how is your new job?” you asked.

“It’s good. The pay is good and though I miss the bloodshed and bullets it is going really well,” he said, seriously. You laughed. “You don’t have a camera or something here, right?” he asked, checking the room.

“No. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me,” you said, “I heard about Strange.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, shrugging.

“Ok. If you say so,” you said, not wading into the subject further. It was in the past and it did not matter.

“Hey, was this ok? Me coming to see you here? I had put this off for so long and I finally had the nerve to do it today,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“It’s totally ok. It’s more than ok. I am happy to see you,” you said.

He nodded, smiling. He sat shaking his legs and looking around the room. You knew he was nervous about something.

“So…um…are you free tonight? We could get dinner or something?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

Was he asking you out on a date?

“Oh,” you said, “I am sorry, Bucky. I kind of have a date tonight.”

His face fell. He opened his mouth slightly as if to say something, but, then he closed it and nodded.

“No…it’s not like a date, date,” you said shaking your head, “It’s just this stupid thing Tony arranged. I don’t even want to go. I am just doing it so that he would stop nagging me,” you wanted him to know for sure that you were not doing this on your own free will.

“It’s fine,” he said, pursing his lips.

“What about tomorrow night? Are you free?” you asked.

“Yeah, I am,” he said, lightening up.

“It’s settled then. We will have dinner tomorrow,” you said.

“Ok. I will see you tomorrow then,” he said, getting up to leave.

“You are leaving?” you asked, not wanting him to go so soon.

“Aren’t you?” he asked, nodding at the cardboard box that held your things.

“Yeah, I am too,” you sighed, getting up.

“I have some errands to run. You do your things. I will see you tomorrow,” he said.

“Ok. Give me your number,” you said.

After exchanging your numbers Bucky left. You took your things and left soon after. Once and for all.

~

“Wow! This place is fancy!” you said, as you and Bucky took your seats in the hotel, “I would have worn something nice if I had known.”

“It’s nice…what you are wearing,” Bucky said, looking up and down at the white and pink floral dress you were wearing, “You look beautiful.”

You felt the heat rising up your neck, “Thanks,” you mumbled and focussed on the menu.

The place had only recently opened. So it was not crowded and you were seated opposite each other at a table for four. After placing your orders, Bucky scooted over from his seat to sit on the chair next to you. Your heart fluttered at that.

“You like it?” he asked looking around at the hotel.

“It’s really nice. I feel like we are out on a date or something,” you threw in casually.

“Aren’t we?” he asked, feigning surprise.

“Are we?” you asked.

“Do you want us to be?” he asked back.

“Do you want me to w-”

“Ok, stop!” he said, seriously, “This is a date.”

“Ok then,” you said, trying to hide your smile, “We are out on our first date.”

He nodded, smiling at you.

“I have missed you,” you said suddenly, your voice tender.

“I missed you too,” he said, his eyes soft as he looked at you.

He looked down at your hand that was on the table and slowly placed his hand on yours. You turned your palm and interlaced your fingers with his. He looked you in your eyes as he lifted your hand to his lips and kissed it softly. You felt goosebumps erupt on your skin.

“I am glad I kidnapped you,” he whispered, not wanting to be overheard.

You chuckled.

“So you want to tell me what your novel is about now?” he asked, looking at your interlaced fingers and then back at you. He had no intention of letting go and you didn’t want him to. So you sat, holding hands and talking about your novel until your food arrived.

You ate, talking and laughing. You were amazed by how light you felt, how at ease you were with him, how bubbling with happiness your heart was.

After dinner, he offered to walk you home. As soon as you started walking he took your hand in his. You smiled and snuggled up to him. You reached your building in ten minutes, a blissful ten minutes.

“This is me,” you said, pointing at the building.

“I don’t want to leave you yet,” he said, frowning.

“You wanna come upstairs? Have some coffee?” you asked.

“I am hoping coffee is code for something else,” he said, his eyes mischievous.

“It could be. Why don’t you come and find out?” you asked, freeing your hand from his and starting to walk. He followed you.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly the end. You know what's gonna happen. Hope you'll enjoy it. I am still scared like shit when I exhibit my smut-writing skills. Pleasssssssssse let me know if you don't think it's shitty..:)

“This is nice,” he said, taking a look around your apartment.

“Thank you. Make yourself at home,” you said, placing your purse on the table by the door.

You excused yourself to go to the bathroom. You washed your face as your heart started pounding in your chest. Bucky was in your apartment. You were alone with him. You felt like a teenager about to go at it with her crush. You tried to clear your head by splashing ample amounts of cold water on your face.

When you returned to the living room, Bucky was out on the balcony.

“Hey! Enjoying the view?” you asked, getting out to stand beside him, supporting yourself on the railing. The only thing you could see from your balcony was the street and the building opposite yours.

“There is an old couple in that building whom I suspect are kinda kinky,” he said.

“Yeah, they are,” you said, laughing.

He moved to stand closer to you, your arms now brushing each other. You felt your breath hitch. You focused your eyes on the street below, not wanting him to see how affected you were by his proximity. You knew he was looking at you. He took your hand in his and started drawing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb. You swallowed, turning to look at your interlaced fingers.

You slowly lifted your eyes to look into his. His gaze fell onto your lips. You felt yourself burn without him having done anything.

“Bucky…” you whispered.

In a moment, he closed the distance between you, pulling you towards him. His soft lips pressed against yours. You hummed, your fingers finding their way into his hair. He nibbled at your lips, taking you slowly, each brush of his lips and teeth sending an electric shock up to your toes. He took your upper lip between his, sucking at it softly, tasting you and ran his tongue on your lower lip, gently pushing you open. The soft kisses quickly became heated. You opened your mouth as his tongue slid in, searching for yours, tasting you and massaging you. You felt him harden.

“You wanna go in?” you asked as you broke for air. He nodded vigorously.

You got in, shutting the door behind you, and led him to the bedroom. You fell on it and he got in to lie by your side. He pulled you close and kissed you hard. You writhed and moaned, the sensations overwhelming you. His grip on your waist tightened and he pulled you towards his erection, craving for some friction. You pushed one leg between his, closing any distance left. You parted for breathing. His lips were red and wet. You let out a loud sigh at the sight.

“Y/N…I want you,” he whimpered.

“I want you too, Buck,” you said.

He rolled you on top of him. You took off your dress as he pulled away his t-shirt. His eyes travelled down your body, a look of helplessness overtaking him.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

He lifted his right hand and started to gently brush his fingers down your body, from your neck, to your breasts, to your stomach, finally coming to stroke the skin around your navel. You arched back in pleasure, gently starting to roll your hips against his erection.

He groaned and closed his eyes, his hands now coming to massage each of your breasts. You undid your bra and threw it away to give him full access.

“Oh God!” you heard him say as his eyes took in your full breasts. He started drawing circles on them with his index finger, making your shiver. He paused at your nipples to give them a little squeeze.

“Take them in your mouth,” you said.

“Bossy!” he said, chuckling. In one swift motion, you were under him. He did as you ordered, nibbling at your nipples, then slowly taking it all in, sucking them until they were raw.

“Bucky!” you moaned.

“I am here, baby,” he said, as he started moving down your chest towards your stomach. You lifted yourself up to take off your underwear. He gulped, sitting at your feet, watching you lie naked.

“You have to get naked too,” you said, feeling your cheeks getting heated under his gaze.

He smiled and jumped out of bed to take off his jeans and boxers. He stood at your feet, naked, his penis aching with need and leaking precum.

You gestured for him to come to you. He crawled onto the bed and lay on top of you, the feeling of his naked skin on yours driving you crazy. Bucky brushed his nose against yours, his lips finding their way back to yours. You opened up for him as he explored your mouth. He moved down, making you open up your legs. He peppered kisses along your hip, making you ache for more. His tongue slid down your mound towards your clit. You gasped, your nerve endings firing, as his firm tongue started to stroke your clit. He moved down to lick your wetness, his stubble brushing against your skin. He drank you up and slowly inserted a finger inside, searching for your spot. You arched back in pleasure as he found it and inserting another finger he started stroking you there while his tongue came back to your clit. He increased his speed, pushing you towards the edge.

“Come for me, baby,” you heard him say, as you closed your eyes shut and moaned out loud, the orgasm hitting you in waves.

He came back to kiss you on your lips as you lay spent. His wet kisses soon had you craving for more.

“Ready for me?” he asked.

You nodded as you splayed your legs. You felt his hard penis slide down your hip, across your tender clit towards your entrance. He teased you with his tip and slowly filled you in, all the while looking you in the eyes. Once he was sure you were comfortable, he started thrusting.

“Y/N!” he gasped, as your walls tightened around his length.

He groaned as he moved in and out of you. You watched him, your heart overflowing with happiness, with the joy of having him back. He came down to lie on top of you, his hips moving fast against yours. You hugged him, your fingers digging into his flesh. You were full with him. His grunts filled your ears and soon the heat in between your thighs became unbearable. You moved against him wanting to get as much of him as possible. He nuzzled against your neck and sucked on your skin there, marking you.

“I am gonna come, doll,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You can let go,” you said.

And he came, gasping, his mouth on your neck. You came at the same time, digging your nails into his arms and chanting his name.

“Bucky! Oh God! Bucky!”

He chuckled softly, against the soft skin of your neck. You joined him, as you ran your fingers in his short, cropped hair. It was soft and fluffy.

“I like your hair,” you said.

He lifted himself up and looked at you, offended.

“We just had sex and the first thing you say is you like my hair?”

“I thought I had made my opinion on the said sex very clear when I cried out loud enough to wake up half the building,” you said.

He laughed and rolled down to lie by your side. You turned to lie facing him.

“So is it just my hair you like? Or…is there something else?” he asked.

You smiled, knowing what he wanted to hear.

“I like you, Bucky. I like you so very much,” you said.

“I like you too… a lot,” he said back.

“I never stopped thinking of you…all these months. Sometimes I got a feeling that you were there somewhere near. And when I looked, there won’t be anyone. I am so happy you came back for me, Buck.”

“About that,” he said, clearing his throat, “I followed you around a good deal before I could eliminate Strange. I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“What?? You were really there? You were stalking me?” you asked.

“I wouldn’t call it stalking,” he said, frowning, “It was more like a remote- bodyguard type thing.”

“Fuck you, Barnes!”

“You just did,” he said.

“Ha ha. Very funny,” you said, “So did you stop following me around after Strange was gone?”

He screwed his face, looking away from you.

“It’s all kind of a blur now, you know. I don’t really remember.”

“Bucky,” you said, slowly, wanting to get the truth out of him.

“Fine! I followed you around more than I should have. It was because I missed you and I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I am sorry, ok?”

You pursed your lips, considering him.

“Ok. But, no more stalking anyone, all right?”

“You are the only one I would want to stalk,” he said, trying to be romantic, “But, I won’t anymore,” he added seeing your expression.

“Ok. Good,” you said, forgiving him.

He moved closer to snuggle up to you.

“I know it might be too early for this,” he said, “So you can say no if you feel you are not there.”

You raised your eyebrows at him.

“Do you mind if I stay the night?” he asked with a nervous twitch of his lips.

“No,” you said, smiling.

“I meant you could say yes if you-” he said, a bit confused.

“Come here!” you cut him short, crashing your lips against his.

“I want you to stay, Buck,” you said as you broke off.

He smiled from ear to ear and bend down to kiss you on your forehead.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last one. Hope this story worked for at least some of you. It would mean so much to me if you could share what you thought of it. Thank you all for reading this story and leaving kudos and comments. It really means a lot to me. Love you, lovelies<3<3<3 Do let me know what you think. Enjoy!  
> PS: Special thanks to MedievalContessa for her advice on the usage of "fucking" ;) Being a non-native English speaker I have always been kind of reluctant to use the "F word". But, I heeded her advice and I believe it is so much better for it:)

Bucky had taken you to the cabin in the woods for the weekend. You had been pestering him to take you there ever since you got together, but, he had said he wanted do some renovations before you went there. Make it more homey, he had said. So you had waited. And finally after six months you were back. It was getting dark by the time you reached.

“Wait here,” he said as you got out of the car. You stood outside watching him jog towards the cabin. He unlocked the door and got in. You wondered what he was up to.

Suddenly the cabin lit up like a Christmas postcard. It was decorated with fairy lights all around.

“Wow!” you said.

“You like it?” he came outside to join you.

“It’s beautiful. When did you do it?”

“I got an electricity connection last month and I came here last week to get the lights up,” he said, putting his arm around you and turning to watch the lit up cabin. You wound your hands around him to hug him.

“I love it, Buck!”

He smiled at you and kissed you on your temple.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked.

“I am starving!”

“Let’s go in and cook our dinner,” he said.

You took your things from the car and went inside the cabin, the memories of the last time you were there coming flooding back to you. The cabin looked cleaner and well-kept than last time. The lights Bucky had chosen were beautiful and gave a soft glow to the wood. The windows had sheer curtains and there was a larger table and two chairs in one corner. There was even a cot for the mattress which had a pastel green bed sheet on with matching pillows and blanket. You smiled thinking of how you had woken up in Bucky’s arms the last time on that mattress.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, hugging you from behind.

“About the last time we were here,” you said, leaning back towards him.

“I am gonna do everything I couldn’t do last time,” he said, lightly nipping your ear.

“Yeah? Like what?” you teased.

“You wanna know?” he asked, his tongue starting to move along the shell of your ear. The air in the room suddenly changed.

“Hmm…” you hummed.

“I am going to take you down that river and fuck you on that rock till the whole fucking forest hears you,” he whispered, his tongue moving down, drawing a line along the side of your neck. You let out a sigh, your grip on him tightening. “And I am gonna sit outside on the porch and make you sit on my cock and fuck me,” his hands moved up towards your breasts and started massaging them.

You arched against him as he nuzzled against your neck, grazing your skin with his teeth.

“You like that, huh?” he asked as he kept massaging your breasts, “Answer me, doll. You like that?”

“I like it, Buck,” you managed to say.

“Like what?” he repeated.

“I like it when you touch my breasts,” you gasped, as he ventured inside your t-shirt and pinched your nipples.

You had been the kind of person who used to have sex silently and be done with it. But, with Bucky you had been different right from the start. And he had showed you (enthusiastically) how he would do anything for you if you asked. He just needed to know you enjoyed it. You didn’t know how much fun talking dirty could be. And it was no wonder it was the best sex you ever had.

He continued massaging you with one hand as the other moved down to open up your jeans button. He slowly unzipped you and placed his hand lazily on your crotch. You thrust your hip forwards for more contact with his hand.

“Just tell me what you want. I will do it, doll,” he said.

“I want you to touch me, Buck. I want you to put your finger inside me,” you said.

“You like it when I finger you?” he asked.

“I fucking love it!” you said.

“That’s my girl,” he said as he pushed the jeans down and his fingers ventured inside your underwear.

“I am gonna wake you up in the mornings, Y/N, with my tongue in your hole, tasting you. You taste so fucking good, baby,” he said as he started stroking your clit, “And I am gonna fuck you on that mattress till the sheets are stiff with your cum and mine. Do you know how many times I have jerked off on it thinking of you?”

You didn’t know. Your eyes flew open as you heard that, an unreasonable pride taking hold of you- he jerked off thinking about you. You splayed your legs as he inserted two of his fingers inside you, “So fucking tight, Y/N! Remember how we stood almost naked under that rock? That was the first time you made me hard,” Of course you remembered. He started thrusting his fingers. You moaned, “Bucky!!”

“I wanna fuck you in every corner of this cabin, baby. Fuck you day and night. Fuck you hard, Y/N! Fuck you till we can’t breathe. I wanna see you come undone, baby!” he said, his voice breaking. You felt his hardness pressing against your back. You were inching close. You wound your hands around him to squeeze his ass and press his hardness against you. He groaned as you started moving against him. He increased his speed of thrusting his fingers as he started to dry hump you at the same time. You became a mess of tangled limbs, sweaty bodies and heated breaths.

“Bucky!” you moaned as you came, shuddering. You felt him pulsating against your ass and knew he had come in his jeans.

“We ruined the jeans,” you whispered as you stood leaning back on his shoulder.

“I have a spare,” he said, as he turned you to face him. He was flushed, his breathing ragged.

He kissed you hard on your lips.

“I love you, Y/N,” he said, as you broke off.

“I love you too, Buck!” you said, pulling him back to your lips. You broke off after a very long time and inevitably you both were turned on again.

“So should cook dinner or-”

“Let’s just eat something we bought and get on that bed,” you said, biting his lower lip.

“That’s a good plan,” he said, bending down to kiss you some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for making it till the end of this story. Hope you had a good time. Do let me know. Eagerly waiting for your kudos and comments:)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. Eagerly waiting to hear from you. Kudos, comments- all are welcome:) Hope you all are staying safe.


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